DNHG Field Trip Policies

Members are reminded that DNHG field trips are cooperative ventures among the
participants, for their mutual benefit and enjoyment. DNHG field trip leaders
are not normally professionals or experts, but fellow members who have agreed to
share heir time and their knowledge with other participants, on a volunteer
basis. The relationship of trip leaders and participants is that of
co-venturers, not professional and client. For these reasons field trip
participation is limited to DNHG members and their bona fide non-resident
guests.

Various dangers are inherent in travel in and around the UAE and in the
exploration of the natural environment, whether by automobile, by boat, on foot
or otherwise, and whether on-road or off-road, in the cities or countryside, in
the mountains or deserts or at sea. By participating in DNHG field trips,
members accept these risks, and they accept responsibility for their own safety
and welfare. Field trip participants are normally required to sign a waiver form
to this effect. Without these understandings, the DNHG would be unable to
sponsor field trips or to recruit volunteers to lead them.

Field trips vary in both format and organization, depending on the nature of
the trip, the number of participants, and the preferences of the field trip
leader. If the number of participants is limited and sign-up is required,
members should make every effort to honor their commitments or to give timely
notice otherwise, as a courtesy both to the trip leader and to other members who
might like to have the chance to participate.

Hotter Than, Well . . .

Report by Gary Feulner

The weatherman predicted 48 degrees at the coast and 43 inland, but dry air
and a wet wadi made it a perfect late June day in Wadi Sarfanah, in the
mountains E of Al-Ain. Because it has permanent water, this wadi has long been
inhabited. The ancient falaj is now concreted, but tunnels dug in earlier times
to traverse awkward parts of the wadi banks are still visible. So is scattered
copper slag on nearby gravel terraces, although no mining or smelting site was
obvious to untrained eyes.

In the wadi, Arabian toads (Bufo arabicus) were calling and mating and we saw
an exceptionally large robber fly (the Highwayman) make a meal of a red and
yellow hornet (Vespa orientalis) – some would say it was a fitting end to the
latter trouble-maker. Large Nile leeches (Limnatis nilotica) were common in the
water, as they are in a number of the larger plantation wadis and falajes from
Khudayrah pools southwards. A wadi racer seemed to have only minor difficulty
navigating the slippery slopes of a narrow waterfall chute, despite the absence
of arms and legs.

Above the wadi were several recent mud cup nests of Pale Crag Martins, always
under shaded overhangs. Nearby were clusters of the white, circular egg
attachments of the Fan-Footed Gecko, which specialises in reverse slopes. Within
a protected grotto we found an abandoned Rock Dove nest just a foot above the
waterline, and even a solitary small bat (probably the Naked-Bellied Tomb Bat).

The highlights of the day? It was a three-way tie: (1) a pair of mating wadi
racers, (2) a pair of Lappet-Faced Vultures, and (3) a lone clam shrimp (gravid
with yellow eggs) in an isolated puddle on a bedrock terrace. Normally clam
shrimps are seen only shortly after rains.

Surface Water Vs Bottled Water? You decide!

Report by Peter Cunningham

Water from Wadi pools has always been utilised by humans throughout the
Arabian Peninsula as Falaj systems, cisterns and wells indicate. A review of
available literature however, indicates the lack of formal studies concerning
the physical parameters of freshwater pools and streams of the Hayar Mountains
of the United Arab Emirates and Oman. For this reason, in the course of more
general field studies, samples were taken at two disparate sites in a well-known
wadi, both to serve as reference and as a baseline for comparisons.

Water samples were taken at a depth of 30 cm below the surface of pools in
Wadi Hatta (Hatta Pools) and Wadi Qhafi (tributary of Wadi Hatta), respectively.
The samples were sealed in sterilised containers and cold stored for analysis at
the Laboratory Unit of the Al Ain Water Department, Abu Dhabi Water and
Electricity Authority. Results of the analysis are presented in Table 1.

Water from both Wadi Hatta and Wadi Qhafi fall between the classification of
hard (<120 mgl-1) and brackish (1 000-10 000 mgl-1) (See: Hanna, S. &
Al-Belushi, M. 1996. Introduction to the Caves of Oman. Sultan Qaboos
University, Sultanate of Oman.). According to Al Basit (Laboratory Unit of the
Al Ain Water Department), water from both pools is chemically potable although
not bacteriological potable. This means that water has to be treated chemically
before deemed suitable for human consumption. Analysis of the water was
conducted during the summer of 1999 without taking seasonal variations into
consideration. The results therefore indicate not absolutes, but data points
within a natural cyclical change. Further studies are necessary to determine the
general quality and seasonal variability of surface water.

Compare the results of Table 1 with the chemical analysis as presented on the
labels of some well-known natural mineral water brands in Table 2.

Table 1. Bacteriological, physical and chemical comparison for water
samples from Hatta Pools and Wadi Qhafi as determined in June 1999.

My sincere appreciation to the Laboratory Unit at the Al Ain Water
Department, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, for analysing the samples
and Gary Feulner for his ideas regarding this short communication.

Summer Shelling at Khor al-Qurm

Report by Sandy Fowler

Rumours of impending development of Khor al-Qurm, the pretty lagoon between
Jazirat al-Hamra and Ras al-Khaimah, prompted Gary Feulner and Sandy Fowler to
explore it this summer, despite the heat, before it was "improved." As
recounted in Sandy's Rough Sheller's Guide, he had tried once before to visit
the barrier beachfront the easy way, and learned that it was not so easy. This
time they waded across the khor, choosing a gap in the flamingoes.

What started as a general look-see and record of the area, also turned into
(for Sandy, at least), an interesting exercise in dehydration physiology -- Gary
seemed impervious to dehydration, but of course, he’s younger than your
Seashell Recorder! -- trying to see how well fluid balance could be maintained
and minimal dehydration suffered over the space of 5 hours on a shadeless beach
in the late June sun, despite both participants being well experienced and
knowledgeable in the problem. Sandy lost out.

The initial lengthy wade out through a few inches of water, estimated to be
at 40 degrees C, revealed remarkable numbers of mud creepers, Cerithidea
cingulata and some brown and white banded Potamides conicus, numerous
Osilinus
kotschyi, and an occasional Clypeomorus bifasciatus persicus, all happily
grazing in such seemingly inhospitable conditions. Occasional tight clumps of
mud creeper shells proved to be the work of hermit crabs.

Several isolated islands separated the shore from the seaward beach, with mud
flats and channels between. The landward shorelines up to and even under
vegetation yielded plentiful specimens of the brackish water pulmonate snail
Salinator fragilis and the small striped mussel Musculista senhousia (both
previously uncollected by Sandy). Each of two heavy Barbatea mussel shells found
in the silty intertidal zone was home to a Nodilittorina arabica, a tiny winkle
which normally lives on intertidal rocks.

Along the sheltered shores of the islands there were a few dozen scattered
but rather small mangrove bushes. These are the Arabic qurm for which the khor
is somewhat optimistically named. Two of the largest were in flower and
spendidly scented. A few mangrove tree snails (Littoraria intermedia) were found
on lower stems as a bonus. At least five species of crabs were recognized on the
mud flats but little bird life was seen, save for the Greater Flamingoes on the
way out and disturbed Crested Larks on the spits.

The beachfront itself yielded nothing spectacular in shelling terms, but near
the crest of the beach Sandy was delighted to find an old specimen of the large,
elongated clam Lutraria australis to swell his collection by three species for
the day. Most surprising was finding a vehicle track on the outermost beach.
Just how they accessed it was a mystery that was investigated without success.

After a break for rehydration, the channel at the south end of the khor was
also scouted (tried again to figure out how they got that car across), but was
unimpressive save for the amount of washed up local fishermen’s garbage –
the worst I have ever seen – and colonies of the large, knobby Thais savignyi
on the rocks at and just above the tide line. Towards the south end of the
barrier island, embedded shells were common in the beachfront rocks, which
appeared to be recently lithified sediments.

It was perhaps not the most exciting or memorable of shelling visits both
have made, but this is now the only relatively undisturbed khor remaining in Ras
al-Khaimah, and its loss, in the name of "development," would be
irreplaceable and environmentally inexcusable.

Shelling Report June 2001

Report by Sandy Fowler

DNHG member Yvonne Kerek, has reported finding a specimen of Argonauta argo
on Rams beach in April this year. To the best of my knowledge, this has not been
recorded before within the Gulf, but the specimen is without doubt A. argo.

A photograph of her A. argo at the top and of A. hians below clearly shows
the difference.

In addition, she produced 2 specimens of Vasum turbinellus and a good
specimen of Harpa ventricosa found on a small beach by Khor Fakkan, and
previously identified as being found at Masirah Island and Southern Oman only.
This underlines the need for reporting shell finds. Although "Seashells of
Eastern Arabia" will probably remain the standard text on shells of the
area for all time, it will need updating – it probably needs it now. If you’re
not sure of your finds – call me!

Fish or Foul?

Report by Gary Feulner

On a summer visit to the plantation and wadi at Khudayrah, north of Mahdhah,
I noticed Arabian killifish (Aphanius dispar) in the wadi where the road crosses
to enter the plantation. This was a surprise, since I had carefully studied the
fish populations in this and a number of other wadis several years ago, and I
had not found the killifish here, only the common wadi fish Garra barreimiae and
the larger Cyprinion microphthalmus. I knew, however, that killifish are
sometimes introduced for mosquito control, and recent human introduction would
explain why they were found only at the road crossing and not higher up the
wadi.

Sure enough, when I asked an older resident about this, he informed me
readily that the Municipality provided two types of fish, a large one and a
small one. The small one is apparently the killifish and the large one is almost
certainly Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.). Assuming that the Municipality in question
is the Municipality in Mahdhah or Buraimi, the introduction of Tilapia seems to
be a departure from normal Omani practice, since, with one exception (also in
the greater Mahdhah area), I have not seen Tilapia in Oman, although it is now
relatively common in UAE water bodies situated near human habitation or
cultivation.

I also noticed a number of dead fish and toads at Khudayrah, and relatively
few large fish. I wondered about the reason for this, knowing that traditional
fishing (via a dam and weir) is still practiced in this wadi. However, my
informant replied immediately that this was the result of pesticide (in powder
form, if I understood correctly) used to kill mosquitoes. It also kills off the
big fish, he said, and only the small ones survive. Other sources in Oman have
acknowledged the indiscriminate effect of such pesticides, but have pointed out
that the former scourge of malaria is still unhappily recalled throughout Oman,
and that the visible control programs are popularly well-regarded.

in the wadi, the rare willow (Salix acmophylla), a cat skeleton and skull
(wildcat?), and several giant waterbugs (Lethocerus sp.) in all stages of
development from eggs to nymph to adult.

also in the wadi, a hand-dug channel some 100m long to bring additional
surface water into the established concrete falaj system.

up a side tributary, a timid but friendly local camp dog cooling off in a
bedrock pool, and a pair of Liechtenstein's sandgrouse.

on the gravel plains above the side tributary, gazelle droppings and the
rarely-seen banded gecko Bunopus spatalurus.

overhead, above the main palm groves, an aerial squadron of more than two
dozen European bee-eaters, performing maneuvers.

on the road home, a flattened specimen of the flamboyant blue and orange
Blue-Headed Lizard, Trapelus flavimaculatus.

in the shade whenever possible, a couple of warm but satisfied DNHG
visitors; and we weren't the only ones – as always on a Friday in Khudayrah,
we encountered local residents strolling or picnicing up the wadi, and in this
instance also a small group of non-resident UAE nationals.

Drought Scouting Questions

Report by Gary Feulner

A mid-July visit (on Friday the 13th) to upper Wadi Baraq, in the mountains
near Fili, revealed a sad state of affairs. Where three years ago there were
pools and fish and reeds, the wadi is now bone dry, and examination of a new
cistern showed that the water table was some 8-10 meters below wadi level. The
cistern is used to water a resident herd of goats (some penned and others
free-roaming), sheep and even several cows. Does this make sense?

Along the bedrock course of a nearby gorge, which would have been one of the
last refuges of water, were found the charred carcasses of a dozen donkeys,
burned, presumably, to minimize odor and disease. Did they die a natural death,
from drought? At least four other donkey carcasses (and a cow) were found
elsewhere in the area. Or is it possible that they were they killed as
competition with livestock for food and water?

At least one pending question has now tentatively been answered. A few years
ago, Wadi Baraq was noted as being unusual in having the Arabian killifish
Aphanius dispar as its only fish, whereas in virtually all other mountain wadis
the endemic Garra barreimiae is present and is more common. If, however, Wadi
Baraq is subject to complete drying up, as appears to be the case, this may
periodically eliminate all of the fish. Garra has no way to recover in the short
term, but the Arabian killifish is available from official sources for mosquito
control. The population originally seen there is now more confidently presumed
to have been artificially introduced. The test will come when the rains fall
again and the wadi fills. Will the fish come back on their own, or will they
need "help"?

Al Maha by Night

Report by Gary Feulner

Not everybody has the same idea of spending a night at the Al Maha Desert
Resort, so off we went with boots, flashlights and blacklights at 9 pm for a
walk in the dunes. The guides at Al-Maha are all professionally trained in
wildlife and conservation, but had asked for a little help to better acquaint
new staff with the specific plants and animals to be found here in the UAE. We
were pleased to assist.

Peter Cunningham led by lantern light and did not disappoint. Before long we
had turned up several Arabian Sand Gecko Stenodactylus arabicus (an almost
transparent gecko, the UAE's smallest, with stumpy, webbed forefeet), the Dune
Sand Gecko Stenodactylus doriae (another pinkish nocturnal variety that earns
its name), and a small Sawscale Viper E. carinatus. Peter had gone to work even
before the evening had properly started, finding a specimen of Pristurus
minimus, a small diurnal semaphore gecko that lives on sand, at the Al Maha gate
at sunset.

A small number of insects and spiders were encountered. Both the geckos and
the spiders seemed to profit from the attention of human observers and
particularly their flashlights, which attracted abundant insect prey. Also
observed were two of the larger desert scorpions, the black Androctonus
crassicauda and the yellowish, broad-bodied Apistobuthus pterygocercus, which
has a distinctively enlarged second tail segment. Back at the guest chalets,
pale, thin-bodied, fast moving camel spiders were hyperactive under the driveway
lights.

In the course of the evening, it became clear that the Al Maha staff are
already well familiar with the habits of a number of distinctive resort
denizens, and we hope to be able to share their observations and experiences
from time to time. One possibility that became evident is that we may have a
species of trap door spider in the UAE that has so far gone unheralded.

The next day began at 5.30am with dramatic demonstration flying by falcons
Aisha (a saqr) and Rasha (a peregrine), after which the birds drank from a bowl
of water – a phenomenon that would greatly surprise most European falconers.

This was followed by a walking tour of the native plants on the reserve,
during which approximately 30 species were identified, with a few additions and
subtractions in comparison to a similar exercise conducted 2-1/2 years before.
Again, the Al Maha staff had obviously kept their eyes open, since they arranged
to pass by several problematic specimens. In light of a perceived tendency to
landscape the local desert out of existence, it is also a pleasure to report
that the Al Maha property remains very much a desert environment – still the
real thing.

Book Reviews

Arabian Wildlife No. 11 (Summer 2001)

For those who left town a bit early for the summer, the latest issue of
Arabian Wildlife will be available at our September meeting. This issue
includes, among many others others, articles about humpback whales, smuggled
cheetahs, radio tracking of Gordon's Wildcat, sailfish, mangrove sites on the
Batinah coast, spiders, sea turtles, and the traditional and modern use of the
Henna tree.

Also included is a short report on the discovery of tadpole shrimp (Triops
sp.) in UAE soils. The tadpole shrimp is a primitive crustacean, famous for its
ability to survive drought for as much as a decade, and then emerge and multiply
rapidly in desert ponds after rain. Tadpole shrimp are found elsewhere in Arabia
and other arid regions, but had never been reported in the UAE. Are these what
Christine Namour's herons were eating in puddles at Jebel Ali after last Fall's
rainstorm in Dubai? (See the October 2000 Gazelle)

Ajman Museum

The Ajman Fort is the second largest in the Northern Emirates and now houses
the Ajman Museum. It is conveniently located on Ajman's central square, just a
block from the beach and only about 1 km from Ajman's two beachfront hotels. The
Museum is well done and features both indoor and outdoor exhibits of traditional
mud and barasti (palm frond) buildings, Ajman archeology, traditional costumes,
traditional medicine, a traditional souq, functioning windtowers, weaponry,
musical instruments, and traditional fishing, pearling and agriculture. The
Museum is open mornings and evenings, from Sunday to Thursday, and evenings on
Friday. Closed Saturday.

Phil Iddison's new Cordia tree

Phil Iddison of Al-Ain, a former DNHG speaker and our Inter-Emirates guide
for a tour of the Al-Ain oasis, has been on the trail of an unidentified Cordia
tree encountered during the tour. Starting with two known specimens, Phil has
located other specimens in the Al-Ain/Buraimi area, and, in his photo
collection, a previously unheralded specimen from the East Coast. He has also
turned up another (but different) unknown Cordia on the grounds of one of
Al-Ain's international hotels. But while the search is going well, the research
is stymied. Phil's tentative judgment is that neither of the new Cordia species
is among those listed in Plants of Dhofar, Trees of Oman, Flora of Egypt, or
other references so far consulted.

Jinn or Owls in Al-Jeer cave?

Report by Barbara Couldrey

After reading local newspaper reports about strange noises coming from a
small cave about 300 metres above the Khasab road near the UAE border post, and
hearing first hand from local Emiratis about the new ‘tourist attraction’, I
decided to check it out for myself.

It is easy to identify the site as litter left by the many ‘tourists’
scars the landscape. The top part of the scramble is not for the faint hearted
as there is already a lot of shine on the rather exposed rocks. The cave is
about 3.5 m wide and is blocked by fine rubble about 8 m inside. As we
approached the cave two Hume’s wheatears flew out, while inside crag martins
cavorted about in the entrance. There was a fairly substantial nesting shelf
near the roof of the cave (out of reach) with dropping marks running down the
rock. A feather or two lay on the ground, some downy, another more like a dove
wing feather. There was absolutely no noise in the cave so the jinns or nesting
birds had flown.

On reaching the road we met two Emiratis who had actually seen and filmed a
large owl in the cave (Eagle owl?) during ‘the breeding period’. I was
promised a copy of the video! Let’s hope.

One of the several stories I have heard over the last month or two beats all
the rest! It came from a well educated Ras Al Khaimah Emirati who had spoken to
the now elderly son of a man who had taken a party through the cave many years
ago . . . a 20 minute short cut to Fujairah! Only one adventurer survived.

Oryx Nosh on Desert Squash

Report by Gary Feulner

One of the many commonplaces of Arabian natural history is that the so-called
"Desert Squash" (Citrullus colocynthis) is unpalatable and is not
eaten by any higher animals. This accounts for the conspicuous yellow
"tennis balls" seen by so many roadsides and other disturbed sandy
terrain in the UAE. And indeed, the desert squash, called Hanzal in Arabic, is
used as a symbol of bitterness in Arabic poetry.

Well, live and learn. Greg Simkins, Reserve Officer at Al Maha Desert Resort,
had at first propagated this conventional wisdom to visitors. Then he noticed
that the Arabian oryx at Al Maha were eating the squash, and indeed, a recent
visit confirms that, while the plant is present in scattered locations around
the property, there are no "tennis balls" except in the chalet area
inaccessible to animals. Greg did a bit of research and found that the oryx have
an enzyme that neutralizes the toxins in the desert squash, making this
additional food resource available to them – a very sensible strategy for one
of the most desert-adapted large mammals.

Life After Dubai

Former Gazelle editor Neil Curtis sends his regards to DNHG 'old-timers' and
reports optimistically from British Columbia: ". . . a new, bigger and
cheaper house, a much better daycare setup for Dylan, and I have become pretty
good at using my Master's course as a way of generating income!"

"It was funny to arrive here as an absolute novice compared with having
built up quite a bit of knowledge/contacts in the Emirates, but now I am 'up
there' again. Of course in BC there's a load more experts around, lots of books
to consult, and thousands of people into the backcountry and hiking, but given a
bit of patience I think I am carving a bit of a niche for myself -- backcountry
planning and management, with a focus on commercial recreation. It follows right
on from a suggestion from Marijcke on research into guided hiking outings across
the Ru'us al-Jibal as a way of getting local buy-in to protected area proposals.
Watch out Emirates, you have been warned!

"Only recently did I get the opportunity to do my first real climb.
About 1500m (I think), fantastic weather, up into the alpine to a peak on the
Canada/US border in the Cascades. Fantastic lakes, gorgeous fresh water, and
lots of snow to play around in higher up. Glissading down on our boots was a
blast! Also finally getting better with the plants. Of course the problem here
is that there are just so many of them [and] very few of the families match up
with those I learned in eastern Arabia."

On the professional front, Neil has had temporary and part time assignments
with the BC Ministry of Environment's land management division, British Columbia
Assets and Land Corporation (working on the commercial recreation team) and the
Greater Vancouver Regional District's 'Park Partnership Initiative' (where he's
running the website, publishing the newsletter, and doing media relations).

Snail Call

A reminder, especially for new members: your unwanted garden snails and slugs
are wanted for scientific study and an accounting of the terrestrial snails of
the UAE. All specimens will be gratefully accepted by Chairman Gary Feulner, and
contributors will be kept informed of progress and pedigrees. Suburban gardens
are home to several native Arabian snails, but also a number of introduced
species. There have already been a few surprises. Dead shells are preferred;
we'll follow up if you've got something unusual. It's easy. Just bag 'em and tag
'em! Please remember to record the location and the habitat, as well as your
name, the date, and any remarks.